Through Storm and Sun
by cripticCrow
Summary: (Full summary on my bio - it was too long for the character limit.) Seven cats, born of some of ThunderClan's most elite warriors, expected to lead a normal life. Of course, this is never the case... They have an important and difficult destiny to fulfill, and the world is depending on it...
1. Allegiances and Prologue

Hello, Merrit here. My series will most likely be off to a rather slow start, and I apologise for that. However, I feel that in order to get the plot, character development, etc. in its entirety, I can't just jump in from the beginning. As an author, I firmly believe that you should get to know my characters before the plot has potential to confuse you. You'd sit through a slightly confusing plot if you had likeable characters, correct? (;  
Anyways. I hope you enjoy it anyways, and trust me when I say that there is most definitely going to be more exciting content later in the story. My friend, an avid Warriors fan, agrees.  
Thank you for taking the time to look at my story! I sincerely hope that you'll enjoy it.

xx Merrit Pond

 **ALLEGIANCES**

 **ThunderClan**

Leader-

Bramblestar- dark brown tabby tom

Deputy-

Squirrelflight- dark ginger she-cat

Medicine Cat

Jayfeather- gray tabby tom

Warriors

Thornclaw-golden brown tabby tom

Birchfall-light brown tabby tom

Whitewing-white she-cat, mentor to Duckpaw

Duckpaw - cream-coloured tom with amber eyes

Leafpool-light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Berrynose-cream-colored tom

Amberpaw- gray and white she-cat

Mousewhisker-gray-and-white tom

Poppyfrost- tortoiseshell and white she-cat, mentor to Seedpaw

Seedpaw- ginger she-cat

Lionblaze-golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Foxleap-reddish tabby tom

Snowpaw- white tom

Icecloud-white she-cat

Brightheart-white she-cat with ginger patches

Toadstep- black and white tom, mentor to Lilypaw

Lilypaw- dark tabby she-cat

Rosepetal-dark cream she-cat

Blossomfall-tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Bumblestripe-very pale gray tom with black stripes, mentor to Patternpaw

Patternpaw - white tom with grey and black swirled markings (son of Greystripe and Millie)

Ivypool-silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Molespots- brown and cream tom

Cherrynose- ginger she-cat

Queens

Squirrelflight- dark ginger she-cat; mother to Bramblestar's kits

Risingkit - brown and ginger she-kit

Lindenkit - pale brown she-kit with a white speckled pattern

Briarkit - brown tabby she-kit with amber eyes

Dovewing-pale gray she-cat with blue eyes; mother to Bumblestripe's kits

Seakit - blueish grey tabby tom with bright blue eyes

Sheepkit - brown and white tabby tom with bright blue eyes and heavily textured fur

Cinderheart- gray tabby she-cat; mother to Lionblaze's kits

Morningkit - white and grey tabby she-kit with amber eyes

Quailkit - grey, black, and white tom with green eyes

Daisy - cream, long-furred she-cat from Horseplace

Elders

Millie - pale grey tabby she-cat

Greystripe - grey tabby tom

Dustpelt- tabby tom

Brackenfur- golden tabby tom

Sorreltail- tortoiseshell she-cat

Sandstorm - pale ginger she-cat, green eyes.

Purdy - dark brown tabby tom with a gray muzzle.

 **ShadowClan**

Leader-

Rowanstar- ginger tom

Deputy-

Smokefoot- black tom

Medicine Cat

Littlecloud- old, tabby tom

Mistpaw- spiky-furred, pale gray she-kit

Warriors

Toadfoot-dark brown tom

Crowfrost-black-and-white tom

Kinkfur-tabby she-cat, with long fur that sticks out at all angles

Ivytail -tortoiseshell she-cat

Ratscar-brown tom

Snowbird-pure white she-cat

Olivenose-tortoiseshell she-cat

Dewpaw- gray she-cat

Owlclaw-light brown tabby tom

Shrewfoot-gray she-cat with black feet

Scorchfur-dark gray tom

Sparrowpaw- tabby tom

Tigerheart-dark brown tabby tom

Dawnpelt-cream-furred she-cat

Ferretclaw-cream-and-gray tom

Starlingwing-ginger tom

Stoatfoot-ginger tom

Queens

Pinenose- black she-cat; mother to Owlclaw's kits

Wingkit- tiny gray she-cat

Stripekit- gray tabby tom

Applefur-mottled brown she-cat; mother to Smokefoot's kits

Mottlekit- small mottled tom

Darkkit- black she-cat

Elders

Tawnypelt- tortoiseshell she-cat

Oakfur-small brown tom

 **WindClan**

Leader

Ashstar- gray she-cat

Deputy

Crowfeather- very dark gray tom

Medicine Cat

Kestrelflight- mottled tom

Warriors

Weaselfur-ginger tom with white paws

Harespring-brown-and-white tom

Leaftail-dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Emberfoot-gray tom with two dark paws

Sedgewhisker-light brown tabby she-cat

Swallowtail-dark gray she-cat

Mintpaw-light brown she-cat

Sunstrike-tortoiseshell she-cat

Lightningpaw-tabby and white tom

Whiskernose-light brown tom

Furzepelt-gray-and-white she-cat

Boulderfur-large pale gray tom

Larkfeather-gray she-cat

Crouchskip-black tom

Queens

Heathertail-light brown tabby she-cat; mother to Weaselfur's kits

Greenkit- light brown tom

Rabbitkit- light brown and gray tom

Elders

Owlwhisker-light brown tom

Whitetail-small white she-cat

Gorsetail-very pale gray-and-white she-cat

 **RiverClan**

Leader

Reedstar-black tom

Deputy

Pebblefoot- mottled gray tom

Medicine Cat

Willowshine- gray tabby she-cat

Warriors

Icewing-white she-cat

Silverpaw- silver tom

Duskfur-brown tabby she-cat

Mallownose-light brown tabby tom

Robinwing-tortoiseshell-and-white tom

Cloudpaw- small light gray tabby she-cat

Petalfur-gray-and-white she-cat

Grasspelt-light brown tom

Hollowflight-dark brown tabby tom

Podpaw - brown tom

Troutstream-pale gray tabby she-cat

Curlpaw - golden she-cat

Mossyfoot-brown-and-white she-cat

Rushtail-light brown tabby she-cat

Heronflight - brown tabby tom

Queens

Minnowtail-dark gray she-cat; mother to Reedstar's kits

Waterkit- blue-gray she-cat

Vixenkit- small dark ginger she-cat

Fishkit- dark gray tabby tom

Elders

Graymist-pale gray tabby she-cat

Mintfur-light gray tabby tom

Creatures Outside the Clans

Eglantine - soft grey she-cat with green eyes

Doormouse - grey-brown she-cat with soft brown eyes and white paws

Plum - black tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Beaver - large brown tabby tom

Hedgehog - puffy-furred tom with brown, grey, and cream mottled fur

Swan - white Siamese she-cat

Prologue

The ThunderClan camp was silent and covered in a thin mist. The sun was beginning to rise, staining the sky a faint pink and sending beams of light through the fog. Thornclaw, the Clan's temporary deputy, walked out of his den, arched his back in a stretch, and ate his morning meal of a thrush.

Newleaf has started of rather well, he thought. The prey was coming back well, herbs seemed to be in abundance, and there was peace amongst the Clans. Plus, the weather meant that there was plenty of time for quiet relaxation in the morning before starting patrols. Dawn was a perfect time to plan out the morning patrols, eat a quick breakfast, and just think about whatever.

"Camp is perfect in the mornings," he mewed to himself. And for the most part, Thornclaw was right. The only sound in the air was the chirping of birds and the slight rustle of leaves in the wind. It was completely peaceful and quiet, and he could not enjoy it more…

A mewling, curly kit stumbled out of the nursery.

"Seakit!" He mewed his dissent loudly enough for the whole Clan to hear. "SEAKIT! Why'd ya do that?"

"Because you were kicking me!" His brother, a small grey tabby, poked his head out of the nursery. He bounced out and jumped on his even smaller brother. "You kicked me and it hurt and it woke me up!"

"You're squishing me!" Sheepkit protested. "Get off!" The two began to fight loudly.

Morningkit, a small she-kit they shared the nursery with, ran out. "You need to calm down!" she whispered fiercely. "You'll wake up the entire forest with your commotion!" Of course, the two ignored her and continued fighting. Other cats in the Clan started coming into the clearing, muttering amongst themselves about the commotion.

Their mother, Dovewing, rushed out and separated them with her paw and sighed. This was certainly not the first time she had had to stop her twins from fighting. "I would tell you to stay in the nursery all day, but you'd only fight more," she sighed. Being a mother was difficult, but it was even worse when you had twin boys. "Morningkit," she began, "could you look after Sheepkit and Seakit today? Just make sure they don't get in trouble or start fighting?"

"Of course, auntie," the small kit mewed in response. It was not the first time she had to do this either. All seven kits in the nursery were only four moons old, but it had quickly become apparent that Cinderheart's eldest - and only - girl was very responsible and mature. The other queens trusted her.

Dovewing thanked her, licked the fur on the top of her head, and headed to the fresh-kill pile to get breakfast for herself and her kits. The twins complained "but we don't like birds!" when she came back to them.

"Tough," she replied. "That's what you get when you wake up the entire Clan before sunrise! Now eat up, or else I'm going to ask Bramblestar if he needs somebody to clean out the elder's den…" They stopped complaining and ate. Dovewing sat down, obviously pleased with herself, and began to chat with her sister Ivypool when she sat beside her.

Squirrelflight, a disgruntled deputy, emerged from the nursery, trailed by her three kits.

"I'm going to do some deputy things today," she told her kits. "When you're apprentices, I need to be able to get back to work. Go play with your friends, okay?" They nodded in response, and bounced off to their four denmates as soon as their mum turned her back.

Thornclaw sighed, finished his breakfast, and went to meet Squirrelflight and Bramblestar to organise the daily patrols. The sun was barely over the horizon, and the mist had quickly faded.

So much for a peaceful breakfast, he thought silently. I can't wait until they become apprentices...


	2. Chapter I - Morningkit

Chapter I  
Morningkit

The pale grey she-kit woke up bleary-eyed to another rainy day.

 _It just isn't fair!_ she thought to herself. _All it does here is rain, rain, rain! It's been raining for three weeks. It'll probably be raining still when I become an apprentice!_ It was only about half a moon until this happened, but to a den full of energetic kits, a half moon might as well be three moons.

"Morningkit," her denmate whispered in her ear. "Morningkit! We're going to play outside!"

She rolled over and looked up at her friend Lindenkit. The small ginger tabby was already wanting to play, even though she had just woken up.

"It's raining," she objected. "We'll get sick."

"Then we can go visit Jayfeather and play with him!" Lindenkit mewed cheerfully. "He's fun!"

"No, he isn't fun," Risingkit objected. She got up from the empty nest and walked over - Squirrelflight had already left to organise patrols. "He's grumpy. Let's go see the elders!"

"They're grumpy too," Lindenkit sighed. She quickly brightened up again. "Maybe Seakit has an idea!"

"We are not waking up our friends," Morningkit told them, but they were already prodding at the other kits. Briarkit, Seakit, Sheepkit, and Quailkit all complained.

"We want to play!" Lindenkit exclaimed. "What should we do?!"

"Sleep some more?" Seakit responded sarcastically. "I was having a great dream."

Morningkit walked out of the nursery and stretched, but flinched when a huge raindrop landed on top of her head. She looked around at the camp and saw the Warriors getting their day started - even though it was raining! That was one of the times she was proud to be part of ThunderClan. Her clanmates were so hardworking and dedicated to the well-being of everyone.

 _Someday, I'm going to be leader of the Clan_ , she thought. _I'm going to be the best leader there ever was! Just you wait!_

Another large raindrop hit her square on the nose. She hissed, even though she knew that you couldn't make the rain go away by hissing at it. Despite this interruption to her thinking, the idea of becoming leader was still firmly stuck in her mind. But to become leader, first you have to be a warrior. And to be a good warrior, you have to get along with your clanmates.

Morningkit went to stick her head back in the nursery, but instead got bumped into by Lindenkit.

"We're going to play behind the nursery!" she told Morningkit. "We're playing pond!"

"What's... pond?" she asked as they were trying to get behind the nursery.

"We're going to dig a hole and make a pond," Sheepkit chimed in.

"And we're going to put plants and fish in it!" her brother, Quailkit, mewed excitedly. "That is… If we can find any fish."

"There aren't fish in the camp," Seakit responded. "Mouse-brain."

"We can use pebbles instead," Lindenkit told him. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried," Quailkit responded smoothly. "Pebbles are pretty fun too."

The five kits squeezed between the elder's den and the nursery and went behind to play. There was a small clearing there, where the elders would sit and share tongues on a sunny day and the kits would play together on… well, the kits would play outside on pretty much any day. Lindenkit and Quailkit bounced over to the sand near the walls of the hollow and began to dig a small hole.

"Hey, where are Risingkit and Briarkit?" Morningkit asked. "Didn't they want to play?"

"They went to go eat a mouse," their sister answered. "Ooh, look at that pebble! It looks just like a fish!"

They continued playing together, eventually being joined by Risingkit and Briarkit. The sisters were eager to play, and they found bits of leaves and sticks to build trees around the pond. It had filled partially with water, and would probably fill up the rest of the way in time.

"All cats gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar called across the camp.

 _Bramblestar_! Morningkit's breath caught in her throat. This was going to be the first time she ever saw the leader doing something important like a Clan meeting! Of course she had seen him in the camp, but today would be the first time she ever saw a leader doing leader-y things.

They scrambled out from behind the nursery and rushed to sit beneath the Highrock, waiting expectantly. As the rest of the Clan gathered around, Bramblestar began to speak.

"Today, we are celebrating one of the most important moments in a young cat's life," he started. "We have four apprentices that have been training very hard, and their mentors have told me that today, they're ready to become warriors."

The four apprentices in question, Duckpaw, Seedpaw, Amberpaw, and Snowpaw, walked closer to the Highrock, their nervousness clearly visible.

"Seedpaw, step forward," the leader commanded. "I, Bramblestar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to a warrior in her turn."

Bramblestar turned and looked at the small ginger she-cat, who was trembling with either joy or anxiety - possibly both.

"Seedpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I-" she squeaked, then sneezed. "Yes. I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan," he meowed, "I give you your warrior name. You will now be known as Seedleaf. StarClan honours your diligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Seedleaf! Seedleaf! Seedleaf!" the whole Clan cheered. She was still trembling, and sneezed again, but smiled anyways. Seedleaf had had a constant sneezing problem since the moment she was old enough to talk, but since she had to other signs of illness, the Clan just accepted it as a part of her. Jayfeather had said that she might just have something wrong with her nose. Bramblestar was correct to mention her diligence - she would often not do well in hunting patrols because her sneezes would frighten the prey. However, she was able to get through that and become a successful warrior.

Bramblestar repeated the process for the three other apprentices, naming them Amberpelt, Ducktail, and Snowfur. Morningkit tried to approach them and congratulate them, but they were surrounded by their fellow warriors. She instead sat down and watched from a distance, wistfully dreaming of the day she became a warrior. Her denmates had already ran back to their game, seemingly uninterested in the whole ceremony. She longingly looked back at the new warriors, but eventually turned and went back to play with her friends.


	3. Chapter II - Risingkit

Chapter II  
Risingkit

She was playing with the other kits, kicking up a storm of dust. It was the beginning of Greenleaf, and the weather had been kind to them. All seven of the kits were six moons old now - they would begin training any day now. But until then, they had the time to relax and play in the gentle heat, waiting for what their future would bring.

"I was the mouse last time!" Sheepkit complained. "Why am I always the mouse?"

"Because," his brother Seakit responded, "you're fun to catch!" They wrestled around some more, with Morningkit standing by, a disapproving look all over her face. Quailkit was playing with Risingkit's sister, Lindenkit. They were best friends, just like Risingkit and Briarkit.

"Want to go see Jayfeather?" Briarkit asked. "I thought of a new way to organise the herbs and I want to tell him about it!"

"Do you want to be a medicine cat or something?" Risingkit asked. The two of them had already gotten up to go see Jayfeather. "You'll be stuck in that cave all day, y'know."

"I know," she sighed. "But I like helping in there. There's always something to do. Besides, if I become his apprentice now, I'll be out all the time collecting herbs and moss and it'll just be so exciting!" They had reached the small, dark cave. Briarkit stuck her nose in there.

"Jayfeather!" she called out. "Are you in there? Can we come in? It's me and Risingkit, I had an idea to tell you!"

"Jayfeather is out in the territory right now," a low voice said behind them. They both jumped, but then turned around and looked up. It was Bramblestar!

"Dad!" they both squealed and jumped on him. The two she-kits clung on to his fur, being shaken around as their dad spun them around playfully. They crawled onto his back, and he staggered and fell over. They all laughed, and his daughters jumped off.

"You two are getting a bit big to be doing that," he laughed. "I mean, you're going to be apprentices soon. A little bird told me that you might already have mentors decided!"

They jumped up excitedly. I'm going to be an apprentice! Risingkit thought. It's happening! He already has our mentors decided!

"Um, could you," Briarkit started nervously. "Can you ask Jayfeather to be my mentor?"

"Maybe," he responded. "Do you know where your mother is?"

"Dunno," Risingkit mewed with a shrug. "Go ask Dovewing or Cinderheart." Her father nodded and walked off, leaving the two kits alone. They walked back to their denmates, ready to continue playing, but filled with apprehension about what the near future would be bringing.

.:::.

Two days later, Risingkit still had the thought in her head. Any day now, they would have their apprentice ceremony.

Probably not today, she thought. The sky is so cloudy. It'll start raining right in the middle of it. Then again, the apprentice's den is empty. They probably want us in there as soon as possible.

"Risingkit? Where are you?" Daisy called. Daisy was one of the queens that took up permanent residence in the nursery, and was usually the one rounding everyone up - at least, she was when Morningkit wasn't around. "Come back to the nursery!"

She got up and walked back to the nursery, only now realising that she had been lost in thought for a while. The other kits were gathered there, chatting with one another. They had all grown so much over the past six moons… Sheepkit was still only about as big as he was at three moons; Dovewing assumed that he was going to just stay small, while Bumblestripe assured her that _no, he will grow, he just hasn't hit his growth spurt!_ Seakit was about one mouse-length taller and longer than his brother, and already had a slight bit of muscle in his front legs. They were, of course, fighting, but quickly were stopped by their parents.

Morningkit was the largest of the kits. She was very skinny and lithe, with long legs and smooth, silky fur. She was at least one mouse-length higher than even the toms! Her brother, Quailkit, was almost her height, but he had much shorter fur. Even then, it was obvious that he was larger around than his sister. Lindenkit was right beside him, as always, her pelt brighter than the Greenleaf sun.

Briarkit was the only one sitting alone, as she was waiting for Risingkit. She spotted her, but turned away when their mother began cleaning the top of her head. All the kits were eventually shoved into a line. They were all bouncing around while their parents whispered excitedly amongst themselves.

"All cats gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar called. "Greenleaf is beginning, and StarClan has blessed us in many ways. Prey is abundant, we are all in good health, and there have been no fights in many moons. But today, we have been very fortunate, for we have seven kits ready to become apprentices."

They all immediately raced to the bottom of the Highrock. Even though they knew this day was coming, they didn't quite expect it to have come so soon!

"Quailkit, come forward," Bramblestar commanded. He nervously got up and walked to the top of the Highrock. "Quailkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Quailpaw. Your mentor will be Ivypool. I hope Ivypool will pass down all she knows on to you."

Ivypool walked up, obviously surprised. She was likely not expecting this honour, but she looked grateful. She took her place beside Quailkit, giving him a friendly glance.

"Ivypool, you are ready to take on an apprentice," he told the silver tabby. "You had received excellent training from Cinderheart, and you have shown yourself to be brave and willing to do anything for the Clan. You will be the mentor of Quailkit, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."

The clan cheered a bit, but was quieted by Bramblestar. "We still have six more apprentices to be made!" he laughed. "Wait until we're done."

He then called up Seakit, giving him Lionblaze as a mentor. He repeated the process, with Sheepkit becoming Leafpool's apprentice, Morningkit becoming Berrynose's apprentice, Risingkit becoming Blossomfall's apprentice, and Lindenkit becoming Foxleap's apprentice.

Jayfeather got up and made his way to the top of the Highrock. "Cats of ThunderClan, as you know, I will not be around forever," he began. "So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown great interest in caring for the Clan and the willingness to learn. Your next medicine cat will be Briarkit."

"Briarkit," Bramblestar mewed, gazing down at his daughter, "do you accept the post of apprentice to Jayfeather?"

"I do," Briarkit squeaked.

"Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats," Jayfeather told the small she-cat. "The good wishes of all ThunderClan will go with you."

"Quailpaw! Seapaw! Sheeppaw! Morningpaw! Risingpaw! Lindenpaw! Briarpaw!" The entire Clan was cheering their names, urging them forward into their journey to become true warriors of ThunderClan.


	4. Chapter III - Briarpaw

**Alrighty friends! Thanks for returning to my story. I apologise for my erratic updating schedule - a combination of school and theatre makes it a bit difficult to find time to write and upload new chapters.  
From now on (March 27th), I will be doing my best to upload every Saturday evening. Every single Saturday evening, unless I have theatre-related plans - in which case you will be notified. I will, AT THE VERY LEAST, upload a new chapter every other Saturday.  
Thanks for being patient and lasting this long with me story. You guys are great. **

**\- Merrit**

Chapter III

Briarpaw

"So," Jayfeather grumbled, getting up from his nest, "what do you know about herbs?"

Today was Briarpaw's first official day as the medicine cat apprentice of ThunderClan. She was eager to show what she had learned so far.

"I know lots of things!" she mewed excitedly. "Catmint is used for greencough, spiderwebs are used to stop bleeding, mouse bile is used to get rid of ticks…"

"Alright, that's enough," he responded with a chuckle. "I'm glad you're excited to start training. How about I take you on a tour of the territory? It's a pretty nice day out, and since it's Greenleaf, there should be enough herbs growing that I can show you where most of them grow."

"Okay!" she answered. "Should we collect anything while we're out?"

"I'll ask Briarlight if we're running low on anything," he replied, but quickly changed his mind. "Actually, you should ask her. See if you can remember. I think she's visiting the elders."

Briarpaw left the medicine den and padded over to the elder's den. They weren't sitting at the entrance, so she poked her muzzle inside. "Hello?" she called out.

"We're back here!" Graystripe informed the small brown apprentice. "Come on over."

She walked through the den and into the small clearing behind the elder's den and the nursery. The elders were sunning themselves in the sunlit mossy area, sharing stories with each other. Briarlight looked up from where she was sharing a robin with Purdy.

"Hey Briarpaw!" She greeted her and motioned for her to come over. "Does Jayfeather need anything?"

"He and I are going on a tour of the territory and he needs to know what we're low on," she explained.

"Oh, I think we're getting low on comfrey," she replied. "Might be a good idea to get some dandelions if you can find any; I've heard some warriors saying there are lots of bees around lately."

"Oh, okay!" she meowed. Briarpaw walked away and headed over to where Jayfeather stood, waiting impatiently. "We're running low on comfrey and Briarlight says to look for dandelions because there are lots of bees around," she recited.

"Okay, I think we should head towards the lake first," Jayfeather stated. "Then we can head towards the clearing and see if there are dandelions. Keep an eye out for those bees, though."

The two of them exited the thorn tunnel and emerged under the trees, dappled by the sunlight filtering through the canopy of leaves far above their heads. Jayfeather started down a well-trodden path that many warriors had walked before. Briarpaw felt the smooth dirt beneath her paws and was almost overwhelmed by the freedom she now had.

"The forest is beautiful," she breathed. "I didn't know it would be this… green!"

"It'll be much less enjoyable in Leafbare," he remarked. "There won't be very much to do - no herbs to get, not much to hunt…"

They walked for a bit longer in silence. Jayfeather paused in the path where it forked, the trails being a little less well-worn. He turned back and gazed at Briarpaw with his clouded blue eyes.

"Tell me, which one leads to the lake?" he asked. She tried to protest - she had never left the camp before! - but he continued. "I know you've never left camp before. Try using your other senses. Listen for the lake, try to smell the water. See if you can find it."

Briarpaw listened to the silence of the forest - but it wasn't very silent. She could hear the birds chirping and leaves rustling in the breeze. She tasted the air but was unable to scent anything. This went on for a few minutes before she anxiously looked at her mentor.

"It's okay," he said with a sigh. "I just want to see what you're capable of. Come on, it's the one on the left. Look for comfrey - it has pointy leaves and purple flowers."

The two continued down their path, Briarpaw looking for the pointy-leafed plant. The lake was almost in sight when she spotted what she thought to be the plant.

"Hey! Jayfeather! I think I found comfrey!" she called to him. He turned towards her.

"Where?" he asked.

"I'll… um…" Briarpaw faltered. How was she supposed to tell this information to a cat that couldn't see?!

Jayfeather sighed. "Just walk over to it, I'll follow you." She nodded and walked over to the plant. He stooped down to sniff it, then lifted his head. "This is comfrey. Good job! We only use the root, so let's try to dig that out and carry it to camp. Keep an eye out for dandelions too - you know what those look like, right?"

"Yeah," she answered, digging at the dirt at the base of the comfrey plant. "How will I know when I've found the root?"

"It looks like a pebble," he informed the young apprentice. "Well, kind of."

"But I thought roots were thin, like cobwebs," she commented.

"Well, these don't," he assured.

Briarpaw dug a roundish brown root out of the ground. It was small, and still caked with dirt, but she had gotten it.

"Jayfeather!" she exclaimed. "I got it! I got it!"

"Excellent work," he remarked. "Let's keep going."

They walked together, almost at the lake.

"Hey, what's that really big tree?" Briarpaw inquired.

"That's the Ancient Oak," he explained.

"There are lots of squirrels!" she commented. "I didn't know there even were that many!"

"Yes, now come on," he sighed. "We're almost at the lake."

They continued until they reached the pebbly shore of the lake. Briarpaw gazed across it, taking in the scenery. The sloping hills and grassy moors of WindClan were on her left. Small brown animals dotted it in places, grazing on the grass - those must be deer! She could see the grass ripple in the wind. On the other side of their territory was a small Twoleg den with a border around it made of sticks. Inside the sticks were several creatures that, even from the great distance, she could tell were very large. By that was a marsh with two islands a short way away from it. A river flowed out next to it, disappearing under a bridge near the Thunderpath. There were few trees there; it was mostly tall grass.

And, separating her from all of that land, was the lake: flat and motionless, reflecting the sun and clouds in the bright blue sky above. The mountains in the distance loomed majestically, like protectors of the territory, still snow-capped in its highest peaks.

"It looks so beautiful," she remarked. "I had no idea all of this was out here."

"I'm sure it does," her mentor responded. "Come on, let's go look for dandelions. We'll check the abandoned Twoleg den and the clearing. You'll get a whole tour of the territory."

Briarpaw turned away from the mountains, casting a look back at them while she walked away. There would surely be plenty of time left to see them, but she wanted to remember seeing them for the first time.

.:::.

The two cats had walked around the border along the stream, passing through the clearing on the way. There were no dandelions growing there, so they continued their trek in the direction of the abandoned Twoleg nest.

"What's that?" Briarpaw asked. "Up on the hill. It looks like a rock, I think? There are a few of them. It's all in a clearing."

"That's the Greenleaf Twolegplace," Jayfeather explained. "Twolegs go and put up small dens made of colourful pelts, or they bring big metal monsters. They stay for a while, but eventually they leave. We have no reason to fear them; we just stay further away when they're there."

"Oh. Okay."

They walked some more until they reached a worn-down dirt path. Eventually, Briarpaw saw a looming structure before her. It was a boxy wooden den with small openings in the middle of a grassy clearing. Jayfeather stopped there and turned to her.

"See the tree right next to the den?" he asked.

Briarpaw nodded.

"There's catmint near that tree. We aren't getting it today though - look around for dandelions. And watch out for bees," he added, "because apparently we have a bee problem now." He mewed the last part under his breath, but Briarpaw was able to pick it up.

"Jayfeather?" she inquired. He flicked his ears to signal that he was listening. "Isn't it the dandelion milk that's good for bee stings?"

"Yeah," he answered. "What about it?"

"Well, how are we supposed to collect it if we need the liquid?"

"We… We just collect them like regular herbs…"

"Won't it dry out though?"

He paused, but was still rummaging through the grass. "Yeah, but we're collecting dandelions anyways."

"Can't we just dig them up whole?" Briarpaw questioned. "Then we can bring them back."

"They'll die unless we leave them in the ground. Now stop asking questions and look for dandelions."

"We'll plant them in the camp," she suggested while looking for them. After she found one, she dug it up out of the ground. "See? We can just plant them! It's easy to dig them up."

"No, Briarpaw," he snapped. "This is what we've been doing. Look for dandelions. Get to know this area. Don't go too far though."

She hissed and padded away further into the clearing.

 _I had a good idea,_ she thought to herself. _It was a great idea but Jayfeather is just stubborn and mean!_

She kept searching through the long grass, hoping she could at least find something. Briarpaw kept pawing through the grass, which was sometimes taller than she was, looking for the bright yellow flowers. While she was walking through there, she saw a mouse nibbling on an acorn.

 _Maybe I can catch it,_ she thought. _Jayfeather would be proud of me! So would Mum and Dad. I should show them what I can do._

Briarpaw crouched and slowly moved towards the mouse, trying to remember when she was play hunting with her sisters. After hesitating, she pounced! She missed, scaring the mouse away. When she scrambled to get up, she crashed into another cat. She was a bit bigger than Briarpaw, and a soft grey-brown colour. She blinked and stood up, but the strange cat didn't try to move away.

"What are you doing here?" The strange cat stared at her, green eyes narrowed. "You aren't from around here."

"I'm Briarpaw," she whispered. "I'm from ThunderClan. And you're the one in our territory!"

"This den is our home," the strange cat retorted. "We'll have to move somewhere else now."

"I'm sorry," she mewed sheepishly. "I won't tell anyone that you're out here."

"Don't worry," she answered with a flick of her tail. "We live a lot of different places. Every so often we move camps - that way there's always enough prey."

"Oh," Briarpaw responded. She picked up her dandelions and began to walk away.

"Wait, did you say ThunderClan?" the stranger inquired. "I know someone from that place! He's orange. Do you know him?"

"Um, there are lots of orange cats…"

"Never mind. I'm Doormouse, by the way!" the she-cat called as Briarpaw retreated. With a swish of her tail, she disappeared back into the grass. Briarpaw shook her head and walked away, back to where Jayfeather was.

"I found dandelions," she told him. "And cobwebs. Lots of them."

"Good," he replied. "Time to go back to camp."

She didn't mention anything about the strange cat. It was probably just a lost kittypet… They can't do anything bad to the Clan.


End file.
